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R
Rip321
Known Participant
May 15, 2024
Question

combing areas from two DNG’s pre-Lightroom processing

  • May 15, 2024
  • 2 replies
  • 1591 views

Am I missing a way to splice together sections of two DNG files and then run Lightroom Noise Reduction and Lightroom Presets on the combined DNG?

 

I tried masking in open eyes from one DNG over blinking eyes in another DNG in Photoshop in 32 bit mode and saving to a TIFF file, but the TIFF file has already lost a lot of detail when opened again in Lightroom.

 

Thanks!

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2 replies

Z
ZappaJul
Participating Frequently
May 19, 2024

As others have explained, you can't splice RAW files in LR, but a correctly set up RAW file will look identical in .tif or .psd format once opened in PS. I'd suggest this workflow:

 

  1. Set LR external editing prefs to Adobe 98 col space / 64bit / save to .tif or .psd / high res (most people choose 300ppi, but 360ppi better in many printed scenarios).
  2. Process both DNG RAWs in LR > use Reference View to ensure colour consistency > DeNoise on both > R-click > Open as Layers in PS > ensure open eyes layer on top > auto (or manually) align layers so eyes match > add inverted Mask to open eyes layer > brush in open eyes > sharpen if required (use seperate merged layer) > save > automatically reappears in LR (useful for project management / exporting multiple files in uniform format).
  3. You might want to consider a coding system to easily differentiate between PS edited files saved back to LR, and LR RAWs. (I do this by tagging blue in LR and auto-renaming external edits to denote app used, eg: name_original_file_number-PS.tif for files externally edited in Photoshop, or name_original_file_number-TPZ.tif for files edited in Topaz.

 

dj_paige
dj_paige
Legend
May 16, 2024

"Splice together sections of two DNG files" is not a feature of Lightroom Classic. This has to be done in Photoshop.

R
Rip321Author
Known Participant
May 16, 2024

Thanks.  I'd prefer to make my edits to the DNG before running Lightroom Denoise and Lightroom Masks.

 

If Photoshop can't edit a DNG for processing in Lightroom, what software can?

dj_paige
dj_paige
Legend
May 16, 2024

Great.  Thanks.  How can I save a document as a DNG in Photoshop?

 

The #1 search result in this forum says it's impossible.

 

"Why can't photoshop save an image to a DNG? Since Adobe is promoting DNG, this should be a no-brainer for a person to be able to save an image from the program to a DNG."

 

"Why should Photoshop be able to save images it does not support."

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/export-or-save-as-dng/m-p/13099644

 

So, back to my original question.  I'd like to edit a DNG from two source DNG files, and then run Lightroom Denoise, Lightroom Masking, and Lightroom Presets on the edited DNG file.

 

What's the correct workflow? 

 

Can I open both files in Photoshop in 32bit mode, make my edits, merge the layers, and save the document as a DNG for processing in Lightroom?

 

Thanks again.


I was responding to your statement: "If Photoshop can't edit a DNG for processing in Lightroom, what software can?" and of course Photoshop can EDIT a DNG and save it as a TIF or PSD or JPG for processing in Lightroom".

 

Now you switch to "save an image as DNG" which is different, and you have already found the answer.

 

Perhaps you need to describe your problem from the beginning and provide more detail, rather than assume DNGs are the solution.

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